Rabat: “The bike seemed to be sliding a lot”

MotoGP™ rookie Tito Rabat struggled with grip on the hard compound Michelin tyre during the second day of the Sepang test.

Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider, Tito Rabat, took maximum advantage of the track conditions at Sepang this morning to improve on his lap time from the opening day by over a second.

The 26-year-old Spaniard set his fastest time on the softer option tyre from Michelin, but this tyre was withdrawn from the test following a crash for Loris Baz, that also resulted in the track being closed temporarily. His time of 2’02.328 saw him end the day in 18th after putting in 54 laps

Rabat struggled to find the same good feeling he had with the hard tyre yesterday, with a lack of grip from the rear causing the bike to slide a lot in the turns.

The former Moto2™ World Champion will sit down with his crew tonight to go through the data and try to identify a solution to his traction issues ahead of Wednesday, which marks the final day of the Sepang test, with the action kicking off at 10am local time.

Tito Rabat: “We made a good start to the second day of testing, with a big improvement to my lap time on the softer option tyre, but then this was withdrawn and we had to continue for the rest of the day using the harder compound. My feeling with the bike was not as good as it was yesterday with the same tyre. In the turns I didn’t have any grip and the bike seemed to be sliding a lot. We have to use this tyre, like everyone else, so we need to find a solution to give me a better feeling for tomorrow.”